Republic of the Sphere
In the fictional BattleTech universe, the Republic of the Sphere is a nation that rose from the ashes of the Word of Blake Jihad. Founded by Devlin Stone, it is divided into 10 Prefectures, each of which is designated by a Roman numeral. Political and Military Offices Exarch The Republic of the Sphere is ruled by an Exarch, which holds both political and military oversight similar to the United States President. The first to hold the position of Exarch was the creator of the Republic of the Sphere Devlin Stone, followed by his chosen successor Damien Redburn and ratified by the council of Paladins, followed by Jonah Levin who was elected by the council of Paladins. Prior to the election of the third Exarch, the assassination of Paladin Victor Ian Steiner-Davion, whose death was investigated by Jonah Levin on the orders of Exarch Redburn. Paladins Seventeen Paladins serve as public military council for the Exarch. Paladins answer directly to the Exarch and only to him or her. In addition to the seventeen Paladins, the Ghost Paladin is a secretive position that entitles the operational control of the Republic of Sphere's Intelligence Service of the Republic branch. Under the Paladins are the Knights of the Sphere and Knight Errants. Both serve the needs of the republic by mediating between local governments and other parties; this has become more of a common occurrence within story lines due to the fall of the HPG net. Under the Ghost Paladin are the Ghost Knights who serve as the eyes and ears of the Exarch. The current Ghost Paladin as during the current plot is Paladin Emil, working under the guise of the concierge of the Hotel Duquesne, the hotel of choice for visiting dignitaries and high ranking personnel. Known Ghost Knights include Knight Reo Jones, under the cover of a disgraced Knight-to-be, and Mason Dunne, the man behind the Battle of Basalt, restoring that planet to Republic rule. Others have been hinted at. Amongst the Paladins, a notable figure is the 'Black Paladin,' Daniel Peterson, who went under the alias Ezekiel Crow for most of his political life. A Paladin of the Republic, he betrayed the very Republic he had sworn to defend, on the Planet Northwind. Countess Tara Campbell of Northwind and of the Highlanders, unknowing of his intentions, had fallen for him. Shortly after his betrayal on Northwind, he attempted to assassinate Paladin Jonah Levin on Terra, and interfered with Terra's planetary defense against the Steel Wolves. He was foiled when Countess Northwind defeated him and destroyed his 'mech. Unknown to her, he did not die. In an attempt to redeem himself, he ended up on the Republican world of Liao, fighting a Capellan Confederation assault and dying there. Due to the deaths of Paladins Victor Steiner Davion and Ezekiel Crow, the Paladin Council was now short of Paladins, which were needed for an election for the next Exarch to be held. Thus Knights Janella Lakewood and Gareth Sinclair were elevated to the position of Paladins of the Sphere. The funeral of Victor Steiner-Davion brought all leaders of the Inner Sphere to Terra in 3135. Exarch Levin used the funeral to broker deals and tried to strengthen the Republics position. First Prince Harrison Davion of the Federated Suns agreed to ally with the republic to assist in stabilizing the Republic borders. However, despite the attempt to broker peace treaties with neighboring nations, several nations contunied to carve out their respective original terrotories prior to the establishment of the Republic of the Sphere. Prefect and Prefecture The Republic of the Sphere is separated into ten separate prefectures each with its' own Lord Governor and Prefect and each planet having its own Legate. Each planet is governored by a planetary governor, and all military matters handled by the Legate. Senate The Republic of the Sphere is not solely run by the Exarch and the senate assist the Exarch with all political agendas. Each world is represented by two senators each. After the fall of the HPG grids the Republic was torn apart by warring factions within the government; most notably, the Senate tried to achieve a coup over the ruling Paladins through subversion. Exarch Levin officially dissolved the Senate due to the attempt to usurp the Republic's government. Many hidden pro-senate personnel in the already weakened Republic Armed Forces joined the Senators in armed rebellion. They named themselves the Senate Alliance. Forces loyal to the republic led by Prince Champion Julian Davion manage to stop the Alliance forces from seizing Paris, France, where all attending Inner Sphere leaders had gathered for the funeral of Paladan Steiner-Davion. Davion's forces were later sent on behalf of Exarch Levin to confront renegade Senator Connor Rhys-Monroe's forces on Ronel, home of a semi-functional HyperPulse Generator and a key planet within the Alliances new nation. RAF(Republic Armed Forces) The Republic Armed Forces are commanded by Commanding General Tina Magnusson-Talbot. Each Prefecture contains three combined arms regiments: an elite Hastati Sentinels, a veteran Principes Guards, and a parade unit, the Triarii Protectors. Each one is named after a different type of Roman infantry. The Hastati were light infantry, the Principes the heavier veterans, and oddly the Triarii the grizzled elites. Fortress Republic In October of 3135, the Knights and Armed Forces of the Republic retreated back Prefecture X to form "Fortress Republic," a newly declared region of space encompassing only slightly more than Prefecture X. The Republic dissolved as a major political body after the Fortress' declaration. It continues to fight as a minor faction in this age of destruction under the banner of the "New Republic Territory." Splinter Factions active in the Republic of the Sphere The collapse of interstellar communications in 3132 led the Republic to splinter into several factions including: * Bannson's Raiders: Mercenary unit funded by the politically ambitious and ultra-wealthy businessman Jacob Bannson. Formerly allied with House Liao, the alliance has recently fallen apart. * Dragon's Fury: Draconis Combine allied faction, folded into Draconis Combine after leader Katana Tormark is named Warlord of the Dieron District. * Northwind Highlanders: Republic planetary defense and former mercenary unit. Now, completely absorbed by the Republic military. * Swordsworn: Federated Suns allied faction, led by Lord Governor Aaron Sandoval. * Spirit Cats: Clan Nova Cat allied faction. Folded into regular Nova Cat forces following the assassination of Galaxy Commander Kev Rosse. * Stormhammers: Lyran Commonwealth allied faction led by Landgrave Jasek Kelswa-Steiner, and based near Skye. * Steel Wolves: Clan Wolf allied faction, formerly led by Galaxy Commander Anastasia Kerensky after defeating Galaxy Commander Kal Radick. The Steel Wolves were disbanded by Kerensky so that she could form a mercenary unit from its core. * Wolf Hunters: Mercenary unit led by Anastasia Kerensky, created from part of the Steel Wolves. Exarchs *Devlin Stone (3081 - 3130) *Damien Redburn (3130 - 3134) *Jonah Levin (3134 - ) Paladins The list of all known Paladins past and present are : *Maya Avellar *Ezekiel Crow (traitor, KIA on Liao while fighting Capellan Confederation Forces) *Isabella Druchet (retired in 3132 and replaced by Jonah Levin) *Tyrina Drummond *Emil (Ghost Paladin) *Heather GioAvanti *Meraj Jorgensson (KIA on Terra fighting off Senate Loyalist Forces) *Gelaina Kelso *Anders Kessel *Janella Lakewood (elevated to replace Ezekiel Crow) *Jonah Levin (later elected 3rd Exarch of the Republic of the Sphere) *Otto Mandela *Thaddeus Marik (severed ties from Republic to join revived Free Worlds League) *David McKinnon *Kaffyd Op Owens *Damien Redburn (later elected 2nd Exarch of the Republic of the Sphere, 3135 return from retirement assume rank of Ghost Paladin) *Gareth Sinclair (elevated to replace Victor Steiner-Davion) *Kelson Sorenson *Victor Ian Steiner-Davion (assassinated on orders of Senator Geoffrey Mallowes of Skye in Prefecture IX) *Arianna Zou (elevated to replace Meraj Jorgensson) External links * Category:BattleTech nations